Genesis 19 · Verse 11

Genesis 19:11

And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Genesis 19:11, King James Version

Genesis 19:11 in other translations

BSBAnd they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
WEBThey struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
ASVAnd they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
YLTand the men who are at the opening of the house they have smitten with blindness, from small even unto great, and they weary themselves to find the opening.
DARBYAnd they smote the men that were at the entrance of the house with blindness, from the smallest to the greatest; and they wearied themselves to find the entrance.
BBEBut the men who were outside the door they made blind, all of them, small and great, so that they were tired out with looking for the door.
WebsterAnd they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

What does Genesis 19:11 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 And they smote the men - with blindness - This has been understood two ways: 1. The angels, by the power which God had given them, deprived these wicked men of a proper and regular use of their sight, so as either totally to deprive them of it, or render it so confused that they could no longer distinguish objects; or, 2. They caused such a deep darkness to take place, that they could not find Lot's door. The author of the book of The Wisdom of Solomon was evidently of this latter opinion, for he says they were compassed about with horrible great darkness, Gen 19:17. See a similar case of Elisha and the Syrians, 2Kgs 6:18, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 19:1-29

Lot was good, but there was not one more of the same character in the city. All the people of Sodom were very wicked and vile. Care was therefore taken for saving Lot and his family. Lot lingered; he trifled. Thus many who are under convictions about their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, defer that needful work. The salvation of the most righteous men is of God's mercy, not by their own merit. We are…

Read the full comment on Genesis 19:1-29 →

Genesis 19:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְֽאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
הָאֲנָשִׁ֞יםha.'a.na.Shimthe menH582
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
פֶּ֣תַחPe.tach[were] [the] entrance ofH6607
הַבַּ֗יִתha.Ba.yitthe houseH1004
הִכּוּ֙hi.Kuthey struckH5221
בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔יםba.san.ve.Rimwith <the> sudden blindnessH5575
מִקָּטֹ֖ןmi.ka.Tonfrom smallH6996
וְעַד\־ve.'ad-and untoH5704
גָּד֑וֹלga.DolgreatH1419
וַיִּלְא֖וּvai.yil.'Uand they became wearyH3811
לִמְצֹ֥אlim.Tzo'to findH4672
הַפָּֽתַח\׃ha.Pa.tachthe entranceH6607

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 19:11

  • 2 Kings 6:18

    And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

  • Acts 13:11

    And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

  • Jeremiah 2:36

    Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.

  • Deuteronomy 28:28-29

    The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.

  • Isaiah 57:10

    Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, There is no hope: thou hast found the life of thine hand; therefore thou wast not grieved.

  • Ecclesiastes 10:15

    The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
with blindness.The word {sanverim,} rendered "blindness," and which occurs only here, and in 2 Ki 6:18, is supposed to denote dazzlings, deceptions, or confusions of sight from excessive light; being derived by Schultens, who is followed by Parkhurst, from the Arabic {sana,} to pour forth, diffuse, and nor, light. Dr. Geddes, to the same purpose, thinks it is compounded of the Arabic {sana,} which signifies a flash, and or, light. The Targums, in both places where it occurs, render it by eruptions, or flashes of light, or as Mercer, in Robertson, explains the Chaldee word, irradiations.
2Ki 6:18; Ac 13:11
that they.
Ec 10:15; Isa 57:10; Jer 2:36

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 19:10

    But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

  • Genesis 19:11

    And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

  • Genesis 19:12

    And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

Read all of Genesis 19

Genesis 19:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y á los hombres que estaban á la puerta de la casa desde el menor hasta el mayor, hirieron con ceguera; mas ellos se fatigaban por hallar la puerta.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils frappèrent de cécité les hommes qui étaient à l’entrée de la maison, depuis le plus petit jusqu’au plus grand, de sorte qu’ils se lassèrent à chercher l’entrée.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Männer, die am Eingang des Hauses waren, schlugen sie mit Blindheit, vom kleinsten bis zum größten; und sie wurden müde, den Eingang zu finden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et eos, qui foris erant, percusserunt cæcitate a minimo usque ad maximum, ita ut ostium invenire non possent.